Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-27
TARIFF
A TARIFF FOR REVENUE Is hot FREE
TRADE
The Important Question Discussed by en-
Old FoGy-The Farming
Interests.

TO he Editor Of the Dispdtoh:
Az Just now the tariff question seems
% be a prominent one in the newspa-
pers, permit me TO say that think 1t is
Unfair 10 class those who favored o tariff
'or revenue" as "free traders" L
have ever believed that the union OF
.he States could never have taken
place had an effort been made
and insisted upon that Congress
thould have the power of passing
A tariff bill looking to protection
instead of "revCnue. 1 am con-
strained to think that under the Con-
,titution of the United States Congress
has no right TO pass tariff bill, the
main object OF which is "to protect"
not all but only certain industries.
" hen the latter is done then the true
intent OF the power granted Congress
is reversed. The object should be to
raise revenue to defray in part the e1-
penses of the General Government.
Of course, if that was done,
the duties laid would go towards en-
abling our own industries of like cha
racter to compete more successfully
with imported products. This latter
has been called "incidental protec-
hon." though l dare soy that "inci-
dental benefit would have been more
proper, when tariff bill was passed
The real intent of which was "reve-
nue." as provided for under the Con-
of the United States.) When
a tariff bill is passed, the real object OF
which is protection" then TO my
mind it is nothing but taxing the many
for the benefit of the few. That policy
since the war has been followed to an
extent which has already brought forth
more millionaires in our country than
believe were ever produced in the
same time in any country of the world.
he thing is still going on-that is TO
say, comparatively few are growing
richer every day, while the many are
growing poorer. As the latter have no
g lobbyists" at Washington TO look
after their interests it seems that, not
both parties in 1884 cried
out for reduction of the tariff, the rich
influence exerted in Wash
ngton prevents even a considera-
ion" OF the question. Thus the
rich protected parties Tin some
,ort of way) have managed to
prevent Congress from doing the
,ery thing which both of the great po
itical parties in 1884 said should be
lone. 1t looks. further. to me like
ALL SORTS or WAYS
ire being resorted to in order to get rid
Df the surplus receipts in the Treasury
Of the United States so as to prevent
my reduction of the taxes levied on
The people for the benefit of the pro-
tectod millionaires.
As time was once given our good |
Yankee friends by Congress to get out
Of the "slave trade" so | would be
content with such bigh-revenue tariff |
as would enable our rich protected |
friends not only TO live every comfort
ably" but to pay their men as good, if |
not better, wages than they are now
paying them. The farming interests in
the United States are in very bad |
and | can see no hope for
any Improvement so long as that in
terest continues to send men to Con-
eress who appear more anxious to serve
% the protected milionaireS than their
own constituents.
The very fact that so many men get |
to the United States Senate, owing to |
their wealth, and the very fact that
many Tor some) of such men appear as
agents of their own interests as
instead OF being there to |
look after the interests of the people |
of the States they represent, shows how |
strong the favored millionaires have be-
come. If the farming people of the
country would send more solid, COM
nonsense farmers to Congress instead
Of so many lawyers, it strikes me that
their interests would receive some little
recognition from Congress. AS the
farmers are, however, too poor TO sub
scribe literally to campaign fund"
and as that is generally done by some
few favored parties who can richly afford |
to spend thousands to advance their own
it often happens that few
such men will have more influence i'll
convention than five thou
sand voters who are farmers, and the
result is "protectionist is sent to Con-
gress, when it is well known that three
fourths of the voters of the district favora
constitutional tariff-that is, tariff for
" revenue" 1t must not be forgotten
that it was the products of the soil
which enabled our country to resume
specie payments; and yet such of those
interests as brought about 50 impOrtanta
fact seem to have scarcely any friends in
Congress. while the bloated manufac-
turers and railroad milliOnaires APP
pear as the peculiar "pets of the
Government. But for the
TREMENDOUS EXPORTS
of the products of the soil since the
war land which were sold for gold it
would have been impossible for the
Government TO have assumed specie
payments when it did, if ever. The
farming interest of the country APP
pears to me to be asleep, but it is to be
hoped that the present r1inous state
of things (to them) will result i'll
waking them up" and that in
future they will insist upon it that
votes, and not money, shall control
nominations for Congress. To permit
the outside world to be made their enc
mics simply to add further wealth to
the rich favored manufacturers OF our
country should not be longer sub
mitted to. England, because of our
one-sided tariff, has done, and is still
doing, all she can to grow in her east
ern provincesthe wheatneededby her, to
say nothing of tobacco, and if a coun-
try in Africa can be found to grow the
cotton she needs doubtless she will do
all that can be done to grow that.
Thus self-interest will compel England